Laptop buying guide: Which one is right for you?

November 21, 2014

Transcript

Expert service, unbeatable price, Best Buy.
During this time of the year one of the top things you're looking to buy is a brand new laptop but you're probably watching this because you need help.
Well, I'm Brian Tong and I'm here to talk about the top three things that you should consider when buying a laptop.
The first thing.
How many days a week do you envision carrying your laptop around with you, because this'll really give you the best idea of your ideal screen size.
For example, if you work from home, you might think of something around a 14 to 15-inch size screen.
That's because it's really a workstation.
You could even go as high as 17 inches.
Now, if you're a student that's always on the go, something around an 11-inch laptop screen or even a 13-inch.
Super portable, ultra thin, that'll work best for you.
And finally, if you're like most users, and you take your laptop around maybe once or twice during the week, the best screen size, really that sweet spot, is that 13" to 14" range.
That's great for everybody.
The second thing to consider is how much do you really want to spend on this laptop?
Is your price range $2,000 dollars, $1,000 dollars, or even $500 dollars?
There's really something out there for everyone but if you're on the higher end, you're thinking about something that's a little more sturdy.
A metal body designed with the higher end features versus maybe something that's a little more disposable with a plastic body that might only last you a couple of years And the third thing, really, the most important deciding factor is, how do you wanna use your laptop?
Are you someone that wants to do some PC gaming?
Or maybe you wanna get into the higher end video editing and photo editing.
Or are you someone that's just a day-to-day user?
You'll wanna make sure you have the right hardware, like a proper video card.
Or the right amount of ram or hard drive space.
So for example, let's talk video editing.
A lot of times they recommend 8 gigs of ram if you want to get into video editing, but really I recommend 16 gigs or higher.
And then if we are talking hard drive space, there's so much 1080p video and 4k video that's really hot right now.
You want to go to at least 1 terabyte of hard drive space.
Now we asked Dan Ackerman and our entire CNet team about the best laptop that should be on your radar.
And our top pick was Apple's MacBook Air 13 inch.
Now this just recently got dropped to $999 so it's a great price point to get you into a laptop.
Also it's ultra thin, it's portable, really functional, and the best all around computer that also runs Mac OS and Windows so you can pick your side.
And people looking for something with a little bit more power from Apple can check out their MacBook Pro line.
Now, if you're looking for something more affordable at a sub one thousand price point, check out some of these really cool hybrid laptops like the Acer Switch 10.
It's a laptop that you can actually separate the screen.
From the base and it becomes its own separate tablet.
Or you can also at the Lenovo Yoga 2 11-inch.
This has this really unique design where you can flip it and fold it all the way out to convert this laptop into a standalone tablet.
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And Microsoft Surface Pro 3 really deserves a mention here as a one-of-a-kind offering.
It's a table that brings laptop-like functionality built into its cover, so it has this super thin profile.
So guys, if you didn't notice, the whole touchscreen, laptop, hybrid tablet.
Is really where things are going now.
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Alright.
Those are some of your tips for what to look for in a laptop.
You guys can check out all of our reviews at www.cnet.com/laptops and happy hunting.
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